From University of Southern Mississippi Sports Information Department
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – Normally, the University of Southern Mississippi men’s basketball team calls the comfy confines of Reed Green Coliseum home.
But during the 2025-26 basketball, the Golden Eagles will be calling the road their home.
Nine of USM’s first 13 games will be away from Hattiesburg, including:
A trio of visits to the home courts of the Southeastern ConferenceA game against an intrastate SEC foe on the Gulf CoastA trip to the tip of FloridaA trip to the western edge of Florida for a multi-game stayA jaunt to the shore of Lake Erie as part of the Sun Belt Conference-Mid-American Conference Challenge.
Toss in an unusual home-and-road split of October exhibition games _ including a date with the University of New Orleans in Hattiesburg, before visiting Jackson State University in Mississippi’s capital city _ and USM’s schedule is one for the books.
“This year’s schedule may be one of the toughest non-conference schedules in Southern Miss history,” said USM coach Jay Ladner, who is heading into his seventh season at the helm.
“I truly believe that playing a tough schedule in the non-conference portion of the season prepares your team for conference play. Some schools prefer a softer schedule, but that’s not the Southern Miss way.”
After the warmups with UNO on Oct. 20 and JSU on Oct. 27, USM officially opens its season on Nov. 3 at the University of Buffalo in the first of two tilts with MAC opponents.
Three days later, the Golden Eagles will host Tougaloo College on Nov. 6 in the home opener at Reed Green Coliseum.
USM follows that with six road games in a seven-game stretch.
USM heads to the University of South Carolina on Nov. 9 before traveling to Grambling State University on Nov. 13.
The Golden Eagles come back home to host crosstown William Carey University on Nov. 18.
After that, the Golden Eagles head back out on the road to play in the Pensacola Invitational at the Pensacola Bay Center. USM will play back-to-back games on Nov. 22-Nov. 23.
USM heads to Roanoke, Virginia, to take on Radford University on Dec. 3, before heading to the University of Miami on Dec. 6.
The Golden Eagles get back to Hattiesburg to welcome Grambling on Dec. 8 on the back end of the home-and-home series with the Tigers before meandering south to meet the University of Mississippi on Dec. 13 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
That game marks the third consecutive season that the intrastate rivals will play one another.
The Golden Eagles then open Sun Belt play as they welcome the University of Louisiana on Dec. 18 and Arkansas State University on Dec. 20.
USM comes out of the holiday break and travels to Louisiana State University on Dec. 29 to wrap up the 2025 portion of its schedule.
The final non-conference tilt isn’t slated until February, when the Golden Eagles will host a MAC foe on Feb. 7 in another round of MAC-SBC Challenge.
Date OpponentSiteOct. 20New Orleans (exhibition)HattiesburgOct. 27Jackson State (exhibition)JacksonNov. 3@ Buffalo (MAC-SBC Challenge)Buffalo, New YorkNov. 6Tougaloo CollegeHattiesburgNov. 9@ South CarolinaColumbia, South CarolinaNov. 13@ Grambling StateGrambling, LouisianaNov. 18William CareyHattiesburgNov. 22vs. TBD (Pensacola Invitational)Pensacola, FloridaNov. 23vs. TBD (Pensacola Invitational)Pensacola, FloridaDec. 3@ RadfordRadford, VirginiaDec. 6@ MiamiMiami, FloridaDec. 8GramblingHattiesburgDec. 13vs. Ole MissBiloxi, MississippiDec. 18Louisiana*HattiesburgDec. 20Arkansas State*HattiesburgDec. 29@ Louisiana StateBaton Rouge, LouisianaJan. 8Texas State*HattiesburgJan. 10Louisiana-Monroe*HattiesburgJan. 14@ Troy*Troy, AlabamaJan. 17@ Texas State*San Marcos, TexasJan. 22@ Georgia State*Atlanta, GeorgiaJan. 24@ Coastal Carolina*Conway, South CarolinaJan. 29Appalachian State*HattiesburgJan. 31James Madison*HattiesburgFeb. 4@ Marshall*Huntington, West VirginiaFeb. 7MAC-SBC ChallengeHattiesburgFeb. 12South Alabama*HattiesburgFeb. 14Troy*HattiesburgFeb. 21Old Dominion*HattiesburgFeb. 24@ Arkansas State*Jonesboro, ArkansasFeb. 27@South Alabama*Mobile, AlabamaMarch 3-9Sun Belt TournamentPensacola, Florida*Denotes Sun Belt Conference game
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